1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is a connector with an integral printed circuit board (PCB) and with an insertable and removable assembled transformer component configured for local area and wide area network communications.
2. Description of Related Art
It is well known in the art of personal computers and other such intelligent, processor based electronic devices to use Ethernet connectors to facilitate a wired connection to a computer network operating utilizing the well known Ethernet communication protocol. These connectors are typically coupled to printed circuit boards inside the personal computers and include a female RJ45 connector for coupling with a male RJ45 connector at one end of a cable, the other end of which is coupled to a network connection point that facilitates network traffic on the network cable.
These network connectors often include so-called magnetic components permanently installed therein. These magnetic components are operative to process and condition communication signals passing through the connectors. A problem with these prior art connectors, however, is that if any of the magnetic components fail, it becomes necessary to either replace the entire connector with a new connector with working magnetic components (by, for example, unsoldering the old connector from the circuit board and soldering the new connector to the circuit board) and/or by replacing the entire circuit board on which the connector is connected with a new circuit board.